Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 8 (2014) pp. 378-383
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Original Research Article
Yield, composition and coagulation time of unsalted and salted soft cheese
prepared from the milk of White Fulani cows
L.O.Ojedapo1, G.O.Tona2*, S.R. Amao1 and J.A. Adeneye3
1
Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
2
Department of Animal Production and Health, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,
Ogbomoso, Nigeria
3
Department of Animal Science, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University,
Lapai, Minna, Nigeria
*Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
Keywords
Yield,
Composition,
Unsalted and
salted soft
cheese,
Processing
The yield, composition and coagulation time of West African soft cheese wara
prepared from the raw milk of White Fulani cows was determined. Milk was
obtained from the White Fulani cows during one week period. The cows were
milked twice daily, in the morning and evening, so as to obtain enough milk for the
soft cheese production. The milk and soft cheese samples were analysed for fat,
protein and moisture contents, and other milk constituents were also measured or
calculated. The results showed that unsalted soft cheese had higher (P<0.05) yield
of 19.26%, higher (P<0.05) whey volume of 666.03 mls but lower composition of
total solids, 33.43%; fat, 12.68%; protein, 14.74%; casein, 13.62% and longer
coagulation time of 16.75 minutes as compared to the salted soft cheese.
Introduction
and insufficient feeds and feedstuffs
especially
during
the
dry
season
(Olafadehan and Adewumi, 2010). In
Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, milk
collected from the cow is first used to feed
the calves. The remaining milk is then
consumed by the farmers household and
any surplus is made into butter or into an
unripened soft cheese called wara . This
unripened soft cheese is usually made by the
addition of the extract from a plant,
Calotropis procera to the whole milk from
The White Fulani or Banaji cattle were
reported as the leading triple purpose (meat,
milk and draught) breed in West Africa
(Belewu, 2006). They also play an important
role in the religion and social lives of the
people. They serve as a reserve of family
wealth and as a mark of respectability and
status in the community. Cattle are well
known to be the major source of milk
worldwide, however, the milk production by
local cattle breeds in Nigeria have been
reported to be low due to the poor quality
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
cattle (Belewu, 2006; Adetunji et al, 2008;
Akinloye and Adewumi, 2014). During the
processing
of
milk
into
cheese,
pasteurization which involves the process of
heating milk at a temperature of between 62
and 66oC, then holding it for 30 minutes and
then cooling immediately to below 4oC is
done to eliminate pathogenic organisms
(Adetunji et al, 2008).
Procedure for soft cheese manufacture
Calotropis procera (C. procera) leaves
extract preparation
Matured fresh C. procera leaves were
plucked cleansed thoroughly with water, cut
into pieces and ground in a mortar with
pestle to extract the juice. The extract was
mixed with a little milk and sieved out. Four
mls of the leaf extract was used in about
1000 mls of milk for the soft cheese
preparation.
Salting of the cheese also may be done to
add flavour, for preservation, also to slow
down lactic acid production and to release
whey at a faster rate through osmosis.
Belewu (2006) outlined salting as one of the
methods of preservation of cheese. Cheese
was stated to be an excellent source of
protein, fat and minerals such as calcium,
phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and
potassium (Tona et al, 2013). It was
considered as a good and cheap source of
animal protein. This study was therefore
carried out to investigate the yield,
composition and coagulation time of
unsalted and salted soft cheese locally
produced from the milk of White Fulani
cows.
Soft cheese manufacture
The flow chart of soft cheese manufacture is
shown in Figure 1. One thousand (1000) mls
of milk was heated slowly to approximately
45 to 50oC in about 30 40 minutes. The
milk was stirred gently during the heating
process with a wooden spoon. Four mls of
the leaf extract of C. procera was then
added to the warm milk and the mixture was
again heated with intermittent stirring to
about 95oC and kept at this temperature until
there was coagulation and the separation of
curd and whey and the heating was stopped.
The sign of coagulation was observed within
the range of 9 to 20 minutes as from the time
that the leaf extract (coagulant) was added.
In the preparation of salted cheese, 8.0g of
sodium chloride (common salt) was added
before the milk coagulated while stirring to
ensure an even distribution of the salt. The
curd was then further boiled for 20 minutes
to inactivate the leaf extract (coagulant) and
to facilitate whey expulsion from the curd.
The whey was then left to drain for 20 to 30
minutes by use of a small local raffia basket
and the volume of whey was measured with
a measuring cylinder and recorded. When
the cheese was firm enough to retain its
shape, it was removed from the raffia basket
and weighed. To obtain samples of the
cheese for laboratory analysis, the sharp end
of a spatula was used to make 4 cuts
Materials and Methods
Site of the experiment
The experiment was carried out at the Dairy
Cattle Unit of the Teaching and Research
Farm, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Collection of milk and milk samples
Milk was collected from four experimental
White Fulani cows into milking buckets.
Samples of the milk were then collected into
well labeled plastic bottles and transported
in ice cooled container to the laboratory for
chemical analysis. The remaining milk was
measured using measuring cylinder and
recorded, and then used for soft cheese
manufacture.
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
radiating from the center of the cheese.
Cheese yield (%) was calculated as weight
of cheese divided by the weight/volume of
milk used, multiplied by 100.
Ndubueze et al (2006). However, this met
the 3% legal minimum standard approved by
the British government in 1901 (Mpieri,
1983). The 3.16% milk protein and 10.48%
total solids were slightly lower than the
ranges of 3.7 3.8% milk protein and 13.5
13.7% total solids for the milk of grazing
Bunaji cows reported by Olafadehan and
Adewumi (2010). The value of 0.82% ash
obtained in this study fell within the range of
0.82 to 0.99% ash obtained by Ndubueze et
al (2006). This showed the presence of
mineral elements in the raw milk.
Analytical procedure
Raw milk and cheese samples were analysed
for protein and fat by the methods of
(AOAC, 2005). Total solids was determined
by spreading out 2g of asbestos in the
bottom of a porclain dish (heated, cooled in
a desicator and weighed) and 10 mls of milk
or 10g of soft cheese was run slowly into the
dish and reweighed. The porclain dish was
then heated over a water bath at 65oC for 30
minutes and dried in a thermostatically
steam-controlled electric oven to constant
weight for the total solids. Cheese and milk
samples were analysed for fat by the
standard Gerber Method (AOAC, 2005).
Protein contents were determined by the
conventional Micro Kjeldahl method, solidsnot-fat was determined by difference (%
total solids % fat). The percent lactose in
the raw milk sample was calculated by
difference (% lactose = % SNF - % Protein % Ash). Casein contents of milk and cheese
were estimated from fat content by the
formula (% casein = % milk fat multiplied
by 0.4) + 1.0 (Scott, 1981).
The composition of unsalted and salted soft
cheese processed from raw milk of White
Fulani cows is presented in Table 2. The
33.43% total solids observed in the unsalted
cheese is slightly lower than 36.36% total
solids in the salted cheese. This is contrary
to the report of O Connor (1993) where total
solids of salted cheese were lower than in
the unsalted cheese. The difference probably
could be attributed to the different forage
and concentrate diets consumed by the
lactating cows from which milk was
obtained. The percentages of fat and protein
were lower in the unsalted than in the salted
cheese, and these showed that the salted
cheese was more nutritious than the unsalted
cheese.
Alalade and Adeneye (2006) stated that
most thermal processing (such as occurs
during cheese manufacture) have been found
to leave heat-stable lipolytic enzymes almost
intact, thereby influencing food quality and
this led to an observed increase in fat
content of cheese. Also, salting might
probably have increased the total content of
free amino acids in the cheese. This is in
agreement with the finding of Garcia-Palmer
et al (1997) who found that there was a
progressive increase in the total content of
free amino acids during the ripening of
Mahon cheese.
Statistical analysis
Data were compared using student s t-test.
All statements of differences were based on
significance at P<0.05 (SAS, 2002).
Results and Discussion
The proximate composition of the milk used
for the processing of the unsalted and salted
soft cheese is shown in Table 1. The 3.33%
of fat observed was slightly lower than the
3.78 - 5.71% butterfat in the milk of grazing
White Fulani cows fed poultry wastecassava peel based diets reported by
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
Figure.1 Flow chart of soft cheese manufacture
Freshly collected raw milk
Heat the milk slowly to 45- 50oC in about 30 - 40 min.
while stirring gently (add salt for salted cheese)
Add leaf extract (C. procera) to warm milk and mixture
with intermittent stirring to about 95 oC
Keep the mixture at 95 oC until there was coagulation with the separation
of curd and whey and then stop the heating process
Boil the curd (at 100 oC) for 20 min. to inactivate the (C. procera) leaf
extract coagulant and to facilitate whey expulsion from the curd
Pour the curd into small local raffia baskets for whey drainage and
measure the volume of the whey with measuring cylinder
Soft cheese may be stored in the whey for 2- 3 days
Table.1 Proximate composition of raw milk from White Fulani cows
Constituents
(%)
Fat
3.33 ± 0.53
Protein
3.16 ± 0.62
Total solids
10.48 ± 0.70
Solids-not-fat
7.15 ± 0.84
Lactose
3.17 ± 0.75
Ash
0.82 ± 0.01
Casein
2.42 ± 0.27
Mean values ± standard deviation
Table.2 Composition of unsalted and salted soft cheese processed from
raw milk of White Fulani cows
(%)
Unsalted cheese
Salted cheese
b
Fat
12.68 ± 2.72
15.30 ± 1.97a
b
Protein
14.74 ± 1.02
20.13 ± 2.33a
b
Total solids
33.43 ± 3.14
36.36 ± 2.86a
Solids-not-fat
20.76 ± 2.08
21.06 ± 2.43
b
Casein
13.62 ± 1.17
18.88 ± 2.47a
Mean values ± standard deviation; a,b values with different superscripts along the
same row are significantly (P< 0.05) different; values without superscripts along
the same row are not significantly (P> 0.05) different
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
Table.3 Cheese weight, cheese yield, whey volume and coagulation time of unsalted
and salted soft cheese
Unsalted cheese
Salted cheese
Cheese weight
(g)
192.64 ± 8.31a
166.29 ± 11.43b
Cheese yield
(%)
19.26 ± 3.14a
16.63 ± 2.86b
Whey volume
(mls)
666.03 ± 36.62a
636.83 ± 28.94b
a
Coagulation time
16.75 ± 0.70
14.75 ± 2.90b
(minutes)
Mean values ± standard deviation; a,b values with different superscripts along the same row
are significantly (P< 0.05) different
Figure.2 Cheese yield, fat and protein content and coagulation time of unsalted
and salted soft cheese
There was higher nutrients content (fat,
protein, total solids, solids-not-fat and
casein) in cheese than in raw milk as
revealed in Tables 1 and 2. This probably
was due to the activities of bacteria in
fermented milk products such as cheese,
similar observation is reported in the work
of previous researchers (Tona et al, 2013).
In Table 3 and Figure 2 are shown the
cheese weight, cheese yield, whey volume
and coagulation time of unsalted and
salted
soft
cheese.
There
were
significantly higher (P<0.05) cheese yield
of 19.26% and whey volume of 666.03
mls of whey in the unsalted than in the
salted soft cheese. There was 19.26% and
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(8) 378-383
1(2):126-130.
AOAC, 2005. Official methods of analysis.
Association of Official Analytical
chemists, Washington D.C., USA . Pp.
48.
Belewu, M.A., 2006.
A Functional
Approach to Dairy Science and
Technology. 1st.edn. Pp. 137-172.
Garcia-Palmer, S.N. Serra, A. Palou and
Gianotti, M. 1997. Free amino acids as
indices of Mahon cheese ripening. J.
Dairy Sci., 80: 1908-1917.
Mpieri, A.A., 1983. Composition of some
dairy products sold in Ibadan. MSc.
Thesis. University of Ibadan, Ibadan,
Nigeria.
Ndubueze, A.I., S.N. Ukachukwu, F.O.
Ahamefule and Ibeawuchi, J.A. 2006.
Milk yield and composition of grazing
White Fulani cows fed poultry wastecassava peel based diets. Pak. J. Nutr.
5 (5) 436- 440.
O Connor, C.B., 1993. Traditional cheese
making manual. ILCA (International
Livestock Research Centre for Africa),
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Olafadehan, O.A., and Adewumi, M.K.
2010. Milk yield and composition of
prepartum Bunaji cows supplemented
with agroindustrial by-products in
smallholder dairy production systems.
Trop. And Subtrop. Agroecosystems
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Scott, R., 1981. Cheese Making Practice.
Applied Sci. Publishers. Pp. 475.
SAS (Statistical Analysis Systems) Institute
Inc., 2002. SAS/ STAT. User s guide
version 8. 3rd Edn. Cary. North
Carolina, USA. Pp. 944.
Tona, G., O. Oyegoke, S. Ademola and
Akinlade, J. 2013. Chemical and
bacteriological assessment of soft
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16.63% cheese yield obtained from the
unsalted and salted cheese respectively.
These values implied that the conversion
of raw milk into soft cheese might not
yield high profit when consumers are not
willing to pay higher price for soft cheese.
Thus, the production of soft cheese could
be adopted only during periods of excess
milk production. The lower volume of
whey from salted than the unsalted cheese
probably implied that the salted cheese
retained more moisture but at the same
time had lower mass than the unsalted
cheese.
The coagulation time for the unsalted
cheese (16.75 minutes) was longer than
that of the salted cheese (14.75 minutes).
This could be due to the mineral elements
introduced into the milk through the
addition of salt that hastened the
coagulation of the salted milk. It could be
concluded from the results of this study
that non application of salt to White Fulani
cow milk increased the percent yield of
unsalted cheese, but resulted in lower
percent fat and protein content than the
salted cheese.
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